In a perfect world, manufacturers would be able to produce goods of the highest quality with maximized efficiency and zero machine downtime. As a result, factory floors would see less wasted product, lower production costs and more time saved for other manufacturing needs. Sadly, factors such as planned production stops, equipment degradation and operator error make perfect manufacturing impossible. But that does not mean businesses should give up on achieving manufacturing excellence.
Any manufacturer knows that with the right solution and enough effort put into monitoring, analyzing and adjusting production processes, they can improve their throughput and increase the return on their asset investments. To do so, they need visibility into the performance of their equipment and its operators, as well as the capability to analyze machine data and implement necessary changes in their production facilities. Our Engineering Industries eXcellence team can deliver on these requirements by implementing solutions for optimized Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
Overall Equipment Effectiveness is a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) that measures how well equipment in a manufacturing plant is utilized in relation to its full potential. OEE can be calculated by measuring and multiplying three separate factors: Equipment Availability, Manufacturing Performance and Manufacturing Quality. Together, these factors inform manufacturers on how well a plant is producing.
The calculation of these three Key Performance Indicators are known as loss-related manufacturing factors because they are measured by the division of the actual and the ideal.
OEE is a powerful performance indicator in manufacturing that, when used correctly, can unlock the hidden potential of the factory floor. Worldwide, the accepted estimate for the average OEE level is between 40% and 60%. Highly efficient factories strive for a world-class OEE rating of 85%. The only way to reach that best-in-class rating is through process improvement, digital solutions and the right expertise to implement and integrate them successfully.
To understand how well their machines and plants are performing, manufacturers are turning to digital solutions to connect their machines and gain visibility into their OEE and other KPIs. Our OEE monitoring solutions leverage Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-enabled devices to accurately track, analyze and improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness. By comparing the machine data gathered with expected availability, performance and quality standards, manufacturers can then assess and analyze the productivity of equipment/processes and make improvements on their factory floors.
Our solutions for OEE optimization also enable real-time monitoring of machine performance to help plant managers make the right decisions and react faster to unexpected events that could interrupt production. In addition to our enterprise solutions, we also offer a portfolio of low-code, cloud-based applications for OEE and KPI monitoring to help manufacturers of all sizes at any stage of digitalization start small, adopt scalable tools and enable their management to understand what is happening in their factories.
OEE is the gold standard for measuring manufacturing productivity and is an essential part of any lean manufacturing program. Although digitalizing OEE & KPI Monitoring may be the right solution for your operational improvement goals, it can be difficult to successfully utilize without the right expertise. That’s where our Engineering Industries eXcellence team comes in. Our experts have been implementing OEE & KPI Monitoring solutions across the manufacturing sector for many years, and they have deep technical knowledge of the leading OEE software products on the market today. We can provide the technical expertise, implementation experience and industry knowledge needed to help manufacturers understand and optimize their factory floors.